Sushi chain drops suit against teen over prank video

The operator of Sushiro, one of Japan's major conveyor-belt sushi chains, has dropped its charges against a customer who uploaded a prank video online after they reached an arbitration agreement on Monday at the Osaka District Court.

The video in question was uploaded on Jan. 29, and showed two customers — a 17-year-old boy from Gifu Prefecture and a friend — filming themselves licking a soy sauce bottle and tea cups, among other things, at one of Sushiro's restaurants in the city of Gifu. The 45-second clip went viral on social media, sparking concern over the chain's hygiene management.

“The customer has admitted his responsibility and we have reached a settlement with reasonable details that are acceptable to us,” said a spokesperson at the Food & Life companies, the holding company of Akindo Sushiro, the operator of the sushi chain. The spokesperson refrained from sharing further details about the case.

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